ICE: Maryland county released MS-13 illegal aliens now suspected of brutal murder

This combination of undated images provided by the George's County Police Department shows from left to right, Josue Fuentes-Ponce and Joel Escobar. The teenagers were arrested and charged as adults with first-degree murder after a missing was found dead in a Riverdale, Md. creek on Wednesday, May 15, 2019. (George's County Police Department via AP)

Two teens arrested last week on charges stemming from a horrific murder in Maryland were supposed to be deported last year, but Prince George’s police refused to turn them over to ICE, the immigration agency said Tuesday.

Authorities say the teens, Josue Rafael Fuentes-Ponce, 16, and Joel Ernesto Escobar, 17, feared being ratted out for an April robbery so they and an accomplice made a 14-year-old suspected snitch strip, then beat her with a baseball bat and chopped her with a machete.

The girl’s body was found in a creek earlier this month.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a pointed statement Tuesday, said the crime could have been averted but for Prince George’s County’s sanctuary city policy.

Both Josue and Joel were in county custody last year on attempted murder charges from another crime, ICE said.

The agency placed a detainer on them, which means it asked the county to notify deportation officers when the teens were to be released, so ICE could pick them up for removal from the country.

The county defied the request, ICE says.

“These individuals had demonstrated violent criminal behavior before, and because they were released in spite of the lawful detainer, they were afforded an opportunity to take a life,” said Diane Witte, director of Baltimore’s ICE Field Office.

ICE has placed new detainers.

Prince George’s Department of Corrections’ phone wasn’t answered when The Washington Times called to seek comment. An email sent to the director was answered by a spokesman who said he was looking into ICE’s claims.

ICE said Josue came to the U.S. in late 2015 with his family — part of the surge of migrant families from Central America who have overwhelmed the border in recent years.

Under the Obama administration the family was paroled into the U.S. to await its immigration case. Like many other families, Josue didn’t show for his hearing and was ordered deported in absentia — but he ignored the order, ICE said.

Joel entered the U.S. in 2016 as an Unaccompanied Alien Child (UAC), the other part of the new border surge, ICE said.

Under the law he was quickly sent from Homeland Security to the federal Health Department, which released him to a relative in the Washington, D.C. area.

Immigration analysts say Prince George’s County is a sanctuary jurisdiction. Under a 2014 Department of Corrections policy it refuses to cooperate with ICE detainer requests.

The department says it would cooperate if ICE obtained a warrant. But since deportation is a civil matter and not a criminal matter ICE says there’s no avenue to get such a warrant, so communities that demand warrants are effectively shutting down cooperation.

The Washington area has long had a large Central American population, making it one of the top destinations for new families and UAC involved in the surge.
And Prince George’s County has led the region.

Over the last five and a half years the federal government has placed more than 5,650 UAC in the county, taxing community schools and, security experts say, creating a breeding ground for gang recruitment.

Which is why its HIGH BLOODY TIME we started charging ALL of these mayors, police chiefs etc, AS ACCESSORIES TO THE CRIMES these illegal invaders, commit, after these towns/cities SHIELD them from ICE…
Start handing THEM THE SAME exact sentence we give to the perps… THEN SEE HOW MANY are willing to still shelter illegals!

If I were the girl’s parents I’d sue the county for harboring known criminals and aiding and abetting a crime. I realize she was running in circles she should not have been but it still doesn’t change the fact their child is dead because violent criminals were left to wander about.

I am in total agreement with every single point that you have made. I am more than sure that when these elected official even in these sanctuary cities/states get sworn into office they do so pledging to uphold both the laws of the US Constitution as well as their state’s constitution and to serve the citizens within their jurisdictions by pledging to uphold public safety. Well they’ve obviously failed to do so here and have put citizens in harm’s way by allowing their loyalty and allegiance to some twisted political belief to over ride the oath they took. I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would open the jail cell and let any criminal walk free especially knowing the heinous crimes that they’ve already committed. It must be some form of mental retardation that allows them to over ride what is common sense. So when Trump says that the libtards are the party of open borders, criminals, MS13 he speaks total truth. Every one of these libtard politicians should be held criminally and civilly liable for violating not only the law but the public trust.

VN:F [1.9.6_1107]

please wait...

Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

ltuser

11:31 pm May 23, 2019 at 11:31 pm

That’s one reason i feel when a cop gets done for breaking the law, THEY SHOULD BE PUNISHED Worse, than joe schmoe average would.. BECAUSE THEY also broke their oath to uphold the law..

According to the story they were released from custody last year despite the ICE retainer. Had they been handed over to ICE then they would have been deported before they committed at least one robbery and this horrific murder.

Instead, the sanctuary county and PD are responsible for the death of this girl and an unknown number of other crimes because they protect illegal aliens instead of citizens.

Nancy Pelosi assures me there is no crisis because of the thousands of illegal aliens pouring into the US.

Based on what i’ve seen, even murder suspects can get bail. BUT this was not a case of them being released ON BAIL, more the court and county sheltering them from ICE.. SO THEY ARE ACCESSORIES to this girls murder.

They weren’t out on “bail.” They were out because some Leftist LOON government official in a so-called “sanctuary” city shielded them from ICE and turned them LOOSE. They committed the MURDER after they were released. The “sanctuary” city’s officials likely will be covering their OWN sorry behinds and would be AFRAID to turn them loose on BAIL, now that their liberal STUPIDITY has resulted in the UNNECESSARY death of yet ANOTHER American.

The relatives of the slaughtered girl along with those who have had to assume any of the expenses related to this horrific crime should be compensated by suing of the rear ends of those Prince George’s County officials responsible for codifying and enforcing its sanctuary city policy . Once the taxpaying citizens realized the reality of the financial and social burdens they might think differently when casting their ballots. Shame on our deadbeat Congress!

Sorry guys. There is no recourse against government. Its called sovereign immunity. At one time it may have made sense when it was reasonable to assume government would act in the best interests of the citizenry. But today its a shield to act with wanton and deliberate harmful intent.

Any governmental or law enforcement entity that adopts a policy that flaunts federal immigration law and provides illegal aliens with the freedom they need to commit serious crimes like the brutal murder of this fourteen year old child should be regarded as an enabler of criminal activity that is contributing to the breakdown of law and order in our society. These self-righteous, social justice warriors are so totally blinded by their dedication to political-correctness and identity politics that they are simply incapable of realizing they are slowly transforming America into a violent, third world country.

These self-righteous, social justice warriors are so totally blinded by their dedication to political-correctness and identity politics that they are simply incapable of realizing they are slowly transforming America into a violent, third world country.

It’s not that they “don’t realize,” Ron Hood. “Transforming America into a violent, third world country” is the OBJECTIVE of the conniving Communist/Globalist Dems, the better to undermine and DESTROY the US as a FREE Republic and HERD us into the totalitarian NWO global government the UN is trying to become, as just another Third World vassal state.

VN:F [1.9.6_1107]

please wait...

Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

ltuser

3:19 pm May 24, 2019 at 3:19 pm

AND as long as its US who pay the price, they don’t care who gets raped/killed in doing so.

WAY TO GO, MARYLAND!!!!!! Pass a few more asinine anti-gun laws while you’re at it. I’m going to hope you meet one of these people in a dark alley late one night as you wish to high heaven you had a freaking gun!

Then go back to the police department that released them and arrest the chief of police as an accomplice to murder.
Enough of this crap. And make sure they both hang this time so we don’t have to be concerned about them doing it again.

EVERY day, in EVERY way, the Leftist LOONS running these “sanctuary” cities, states, etc. PROVE their TOTAL DISREGARD for the safety of their OWN citizens, in favor of running after ILLEGAL votes that are–guess what–ILLEGAL, according to our Constitution! Their disgraceful and DISLOYAL pandering to people in our country ILLEGALLY also prove just what America-hating, treasonous SCUM they truly are!

HOW many times will these “Sanctuary leaders” turn dangerous criminals loose onto their streets, only to see them MURDER somebody? I think ANY elected OR appointed government official in this country who refuses to enforce immigration laws and keeps setting these people loose in their streets should be charged as an ACCESSORY to whatever crime that ILLEGAL they liberated commits after they are released. And they should be TRIED and serve REAL prison time for it!

Recent Comments

"“costs are going to go up for the wealthier, costs are going to go up for the corporations,” and “costs are going to go down for the hard working individuals.”
We heard this all before. Then our costs tripled. Remember Obamacare.
Maybe Warren can afford this but I can't.
As a matter of fact I would like her to pay back the cost..."Comment by stanparrish
Posted in Elizabeth Warren’s gasp-worthy slap at the rich

"Finland had a 2 year trial with 2000 participants to collect data that ended in 2018. The trial was set to stop after 2 years, so stopping when it is supposed to, doesn't qualify as doesn't work. What other western country has tried it?
Friedman was probably the most influential free market economist of the last hundred years. I first read..."Comment by darby
Posted in Andrew Yang: $120,000 universal basic income for 10 families